The present invention relates in general to cross-car structures for instrument panel assemblies in motor vehicles, and, more specifically, to compact and efficient support structures integrating an HVAC floor duct with a structural beam.
According to the typical construction of a motor vehicle, an instrument panel (IP) assembly is installed in a vehicle body interior at the forward end of a passenger cabin between left and right body sides and above a floor pan. One or two steel cross-car beams provide structural support for a plastic IP substrate, various attachment brackets, and IP systems such as a heating, ventilating, air conditioning (HVAC) system, airbag supplemental restraint modules, instrumentation modules, storage bins, and other accessories. While the use of two steel beams provides enhanced stiffness, there is not always sufficient space for including two steel beams.
A current trend toward making smaller cabins together with a desire even for larger cars to utilize compact instrument panel assemblies to provide a more spacious interior for the occupants create challenges related to fitting all of the necessary components into the available space while maintaining the necessary structural integrity and robustness. Packaging of the HVAC module and associated ducting can be particularly problematic. Ducting performance may sometimes be compromised as a result of space and routing issues.